Sunday, May 1st, 2016

As I drove east on the Snow Canyon Parkway at the north of Dixie Downs area in
St. George past the fishponds by the ball parks, I saw a man, a town employee,
using a spray cannister on the south bank of the pond north of the road.
What he was spraying, I don’t know but it was most likely weed killer.
When I drove back west later in the day, a man with a fishing rod was standing
on that same spot, his dog dutifully sitting to his side.
To the east of him on a bench sat a woman using a fishing rod.
On the north side of the pond were a man and woman and their little dog fishing.
The next day as I drove past the pond, the banks were crowded with people
fishing. Men, women and children.What effect would that have on the fish? On the people eating the fish?What effect on the dog sitting on the spot where the poison was applied?How about the people? The children?

The TV ad about the man spraying weed poison on a lone weed in a crack in’his
driveway and then playing basket ball with his children while the weed slowly
withered came to mind. Peace of mind or task done now fun.Why couldn’t he have pulled the weed and then it would have been gone?

This reminded me of my next door neighbor to the west, out with a spray ccannister
slung over one shoulder and spray wand in that hand and his young daughter
slung over his other shoulder. No safety gear clad either one of them.

A few years back, I was painting in the rooms of a local motel.
The maids were cleaning and making the bed in one room while I painted the
small area I had to.
One of the maids screamed, “A cockroach.” She ran out and returned with a spray
can of poison and spray the bug right on the newly made bed spread.
Killing it and then removing the dead bug and then the exterminators were called.

Couldn’t she have ushered the bug into a pail or trash can, taken it out side andkilled it by stepping on it? Or even spraying the poison out side?

What did that poison do to the people who slept in that bed that night?
Even the paint fumes lingered. How did that effect the renters that night?
Later while doing some roof work at that same motel, under the roof tile, I saw
a goodly number of live roaches.

What had they done when the exterminator came?
They went to the roof. When it was safe in a few days, they returned downstairs.
Or the bugs go next door, some die but not all.What happens to that weed killer? Bug killer?

A few years ago, my late wife was talking to the county weed control department
man on the phone. He told her that the poison for the weeds goes into the ground 3
or 4 inches and then won’t hurt people or animals. She replied to him, “Have you
even been in Ivins in a wind storm?”
The real estate moves here in a wind storm, sometimes scouring 3, 4, 5 or
more inches of the red sand off as it goes.Where is that poison then?

Here is some information on weed and bug poison.

What is the half life of some of these so called benign chemical concoctions?

Roundup:
“The half-life of glyphosate in soil ranges between 2 and 197 days;
a typical field half-life of 47 days has been suggested.
Soil and climate conditions affect glyphosate’s persistence in soil.
The median half-life of glyphosate in water varies from a few to 91 days.”-Roundup.com

2,4-D
“2,4-D was first used in the United States in the 1940s. Agent Orange, an herbicide
used during the Vietnam War, contained both 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T. Dioxin,
a by-product of 2,4,5-T, led to the ban of Agent Orange.
2,4-D goes through different changes in the environment depending on its form.
Most of the time, 2,4-D breaks down in soil so that half of the original amount is
gone in 1-14 days. This breakdown time is called the “half-life” of the pesticide.
One form of 2,4-D, the butoxyethyl ester, had a much longer half-life in aquatic
sediment of 186 days.
Aquatic animals are more sensitive to 2,4-D as water temperature rises.
2,4-D may be moderately toxic to practically non-toxic to birds if they eat it.”-http://npic.orst.edu
“A pesticide known as 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, or “2,4-D”, was developed
during World War II. It was one of two active ingredients in the notorious defoliant
known as Agent Orange, used during the Vietnam War to destroy forest cover for
our enemies, as well as their food crops. A tremendous amount of herbicide was
sprayed over millions of acres of land in Vietnam from 1961 to 1972. Agent Orange
was the most commonly used product, and it has since been revealed to cause a
wide range of serious health issues, including rashes, psychological problems,
birth defects, tumors, and cancer.”-Dr. Karen Beckerhttp://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2014/02/10/lawn-pesticides.aspx

Bug poisons:

Raid
Raid is the brand name of a line of insecticide products produced by
S. C. Johnson & Son, first launched in 1956.

The initial active ingredient was the first synthetic pyrethroid, allethrin.
Raid derivatives aimed at particular invertebrate species can contain
other active agents such as the more toxic cyfluthrin, another synthetic pyrethroid.
Currently Raid Ant & Roach Killer contains pyrethroids, piperonyl butoxide, and
permethrin; other products contain tetramethrin, cypermethrin and imiprothrin as
active ingredients Raid Flying Insect Killer, a spray, uses prallethrin and D-phenothrin.

“Aside from the fact that they are also toxic to beneficial insects such as bees and
dragonflies, pyrethroids are toxic to fish and other aquatic organisms.
At extremely small levels, such as 4 parts per trillion, pyrethroids are lethal to
mayflies, gadflies, and invertebrates that constitute the base of many aquatic
and terrestrial food webs.”

Pyrethroids have been found to be unaffected by secondary treatment systems
at municipal wastewater treatment facilities in California.
They appear in the effluent, usually at levels lethal to invertebrates.”

“Cyfluthrin is sensitive to breakdown by sunlight. On the surface of soils, its
half-life is 48-72 hours. It has a half-life of 56-63 days in German loam and sandy
loam soils, respectively, and has similar persistence in soils under conditions of
low oxygen (anaerobic).
“Cyfluthrin is a pyrethroid insecticide and common household pesticide.
It is a complex organic compound and the commercial product is sold as
a mixture of isomers. Like most pyrethroids, it is highly toxic to fish, invertebrates,
and insects, but it is far less toxic to humans. It is generally supplied as a 10-25%
liquid concentrate for commercial use and is diluted prior to spraying onto agricultural
crops and outbuildings.
Excessive exposure can cause nausea, headache, muscle weakness,
salivation, shortness of breath and seizures. In humans, it is deactivated by
enzymatic hydrolysis to several carboxylic acid metabolites, whose urinary excretion
half-lives are in a range of 5–7 hours. Worker exposure to the chemical can
be monitored by measurement of the urinary metabolites, while severe over dosage
may be confirmed by quantification of cyfluthrin in blood or plasma.

Health and safety risks are controlled by right to know laws that exist in most
developed countries. Cyfluthrin is regulated in the US by the EPA.”

What is the worst that could happen to children from chemicals used to kill pests?

February 9, 2010
.
Family loses 2nd child in suspected pesticide poisoning
LAYTON, Utah — Three days after 4-year-old Rebecca Toone, of Layton,
died from apparent exposure to a pesticide, her 15-month-old sister, Rachel,
passed away.
Both girls died after having similar symptoms just days after their home
was treated to get rid of rodents.
A technician used the chemical Fumitoxin-the pellets used mixed with
water to release deadly phosphine gas. It apparently migrated from the soil
into the home.-https://www.ksl.com/?sid=9629232

And what of pets? Like the two dogs by the fish pond?

Dr. Karen Becker wrote an article about it:
“Many pet guardians don’t realize the potential for exposing their
four-legged family member to environmental toxins like pesticides
and herbicides. People also don’t realize that after they apply a product
to their lawn or garden, the chemical residues are tracked indoors on
pet paws, and contaminate surfaces throughout their home.”
She goes on to tell ills caused and prevention strategies.http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2014/02/10/lawn-pesticides.aspx

I know of one chemical applicator who protects himself and family.
He always covers his hands and nose when spraying chemicals, has
shaved his head bald, bathes and changes his clothes before entering
his house and takes vitamins supplements to help counter the ill effects of
the chemicals he sprays.
But what of your family when he sprays your home or yard?

One local man found that his children got ill after the bug man came.
He solved the problem by starting his own bug company that uses only
orange oil to treat for bugs. The bugs dislike the strong smell of the oil
and stay out of houses treated with it. Problem solved without
harmful chemicals.-http://insectfree.com/articles/what-is-orange-oil-pest-control

And what of weed control for the lazy who don’t want to pull or digthe offensive weeds?

Years ago, I was a Shaklee distributor.
One man in touting the merits of Basic H, the basic cleaner of the company,
and it is very good for many things, told of farm ground that was dead and
how he rejuvenated it.
My intent here is to tell why the farm ground was dead and no longer
able to produce so that the owners were selling it.
The soil of these dead farms had no worms, no microorganisms in them.
They were dead, sterile, devoid of life of any kind and hard as rock.
Why? Because of years of chemical application for different reasons.http://www.shawnh.com/downloads/Basic%20H%20Soil%20Conditioner%20Booklet%202.pdf

Another source tells of those who lost farms to chemical use:“They come in rattling, dusty pickup trucks driven by tired, broke farmers — men who watched their land, finances and self-esteem erode after decades of chemical farming left their fields scarred and sterile.”

The Green Machine is an interesting read as it tell how one farmer has